Ring is changing how it protects your security camera footage with a major privacy upgrade

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QUICK SUMMARY

Ring has announced TAKE (Throw Away the Key Encryption) – a new video encryption standard designed to give customers greater control over their security camera footagE.

It will begin rolling out in September and eventually become the default for Ring customers worldwide, whilst end-to-end encryption will remain available as an optional setting.

Ring has announced a new video encryption standard called TAKE – or Throw Away the Key Encryption – which will eventually become the default for all Ring customers worldwide. It's designed to give you more control over your best security camera footage without taking away the brand's cloud-based features.

It's worth pointing out that Ring videos are already encrypted after being sent to the cloud and whilst they're stored there. However, TAKE adds another layer by protecting videos with unique encryption keys, with a copy temporarily held inside a secure cloud enclave. Ring can access the key under limited conditions to power features you've chosen to use, such as Smart Alerts, but once that's done, Ring says its copy of the key is deleted.

TAKE will begin rolling out in phases from September and will eventually become the default encryption method for Ring customers worldwide, so it's a change most users won't have to actively opt into.

Once Ring's copy of the key has been deleted, access remains with you and any trusted Shared Users you've chosen, using enrolled devices such as your phone, tablet or computer. Ring compares it to a house key – you might temporarily lend one to someone who needs access, but the company that made your lock doesn't keep a permanent copy for itself.

The main difference between TAKE and traditional end-to-end encryption (E2EE) is that TAKE doesn't require you to give up Ring's wider cloud-based features. With E2EE enabled, only your enrolled devices have access to the encryption keys, meaning Shared Users and cloud-based features aren't available, although core functions such as Live View, playback and video sharing still work.

Ring will continue offering E2EE as an optional setting for anyone who wants that additional level of control, whilst TAKE becomes the default for everyone else. You'll also be able to manage encryption on a device-by-device basis through the Ring app and switch between the available options.